Dan Gelfand/The Hoya According to and InterHall study, Georgetown lounges are less than ideal.

Students at Georgetown reside in dormitories with lounges that are less than ideal, according to a report on the condition of university lounges released by InterHall’s External Affairs Committee.

At the end of March the committee presented an “Ideal Lounge Proposal for Georgetown University,” detailing the standards and requirements for a model lounge to Director of Housing Operations Bob Robinson and Executive Director of Facilities and Student Housing Karen Frank.

According to Vice President of the External Affairs Committee Gilbert Cruz (COL ’03), the goal of the proposal was to provide suggestions to the university for lounges in the Southwest Quadrangle and for the renovation of lounges in existing residence halls. In addition to compiling statistical data in the form of student surveys, the report compared photographs from lounges at American and George Washington Universities, and concluded that Georgetown’s lounges have significant problems.

“Particularly in New South and Village C, lounges feature broken television sets, non-functioning microwaves, walls with holes punched through them and damaged furniture,” the report said.

According to Cruz, the report found most students think lounges like those in recently renovated Harbin Hall do a good job of encouraging socialization and fostering a sense of community. Harbin lounges are clean, new and furnished with kitchens.

“Especially in the freshman dorms, lounges are a major place for people to gather outside of their rooms. They go there to study and socialize,” Cruz said. “If you have lounges with problems, then the people who live on the floor won’t have a sense of pride in their floor.”

Cruz and InterHall President Heath Carter (COL ’03), both residents of Village C last year, said their experience with the poorly-maintained and scantily-furnished lounges prompted them to begin the five-month research project last October.

“[This report] is important because it is the first time that students have had input into shaping what their community looks like,” Carter said. “Past decisions have been made by administrators.”

Robinson and Frank said the report’s suggestions would be taken into consideration in the construction of the Southwest Quadrangle and in the renovation of existing residence halls.

While the report was helpful, Robinson said, it also verified the university is already moving in the right direction.

“It was a very thorough report and what [the administration] has confirmed is that we have been doing the right thing,” he said.

The ideal lounge proposal is just one step in students’ and administrators’ multifaceted goal to improve residence hall life. Earlier this year, InterHall and GUSA combined their efforts to prompt the university to replace Purell Instant Bacterial hand gel with soap dispensers in all common bathrooms on campus.

As part of the same initiative, Georgetown is also installing hot air hand dryers in bathrooms. Another result of their collaboration is the upcoming re-wiring of university townhouses.

Established in 1998, InterHall is an organization aimed at enhancing dorm spirit and social activity in on-campus residences. According to members, it hopes to facilitate communication between administrators and students about on-campus living conditions.